Flying to Seattle
I'm flying to Seattle for my training program in the US tomorrow, and boy, does everything feel strange. I stand-a curious time traveler, extrapolating from the present into the future and gazing through the veil of imagination into a room that I know I will not be seeing for another year and a half, imagining everything coated in dust, or faded from constant exposure to sunlight. The feeling is surreal and a little sad.
While I'm sure my stock of games will be plundered quite often by looters, my collection of books will have to remain behind, unread by familiar eyes, content to a fate of slow humidification, whilst dust burrow between their pages. The shelves of stationery will again assume their usual places, untouched in their decorative stance. Textbooks and memorabilia will lie, expectant, ready to be condemned to oblivion or rise again as treasured artifacts.
But most of all, it is not the melancholy echoes of these inanimate objects that I lament, but the sweet company of friends and family that I will not be able to partake, and the short goodbyes that have touched my heart.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1/FT1 Waterproof Digicam
The odyssey for my very first self-owned digital camera began way back in December, where I tried to narrow down on the list of suitable cameras. Brand (I don't have much brand loyalty) and price wasn't as much a concern as form and function.
The 3 major criteria I had for my digital camera were:
1) Ruggedness and waterproofing ability.
I needed something that was at least resistant to my rough handling, and would survive a rough and tumble adventure with me when I go skiing, hiking, white water rafting or scuba diving.
2) Picture quality and performance
The image quality among different brands of cameras are quite varied, with differences in image processing, speed and colour balance that is visible to the naked eye.
3) Capability to extend waterproofing to 40m by use of additional underwater casing
As I intend to use this camera for scuba diving, it is imperative that I can purchase (later on) a 3rd party or official underwater casing for it.
Based on these requirements, I narrowed down the choices to:
1) Olypmus
My original choice, given it's long heritage in making adventure cameras and good protection characteristics. It also looks rugged! However the image quality leaves a lot to be desired, and the overall speed of the camera is slow. Coupled with the fact that Olympus doesn't support the more commonly used and cheaper SDHC cards, the Olympus quickly became a poor contender when compared to other models.
2) Canon-
Cute and toylike, the Canon D-10 definitely looks striking , but it's bulbous nose and lack of underwater casing puts it at a severe disadvantage against the other choices. The image quality is very good though, and it's speed is top-notch.
3) Panasonic
A curious blend of image quality and performance at a reduced waterproof depth (only 3m compared to the others). Despite it's less than stellar waterproofing characteristics, there is an underwater casing available on the market, and it comes with the bonus of having HD quality video.
In the end, I decided on the Panasonic, as it is the most balanced of the waterproof cameras and even though it only is waterproof up to 3m, my decision expand my underwater photography below 10m that necessitates a marine case quickly made the choice very clear. The Canon was out, the Olympus didn't have enough image quality, leaving the Panasonic the victor.
The odyssey did not end with selection. I had to wait for months while my first paycheck trickled in before fully committing myself to buying the camera and then I still had to struggle with dwindling stocks, difficult "Ah Beng" salesmen and poor offerings from the various shops that I tried to patronize.
odyssey
Wrapping up December
Well, I'm actually feeling a little free tonight, and once again I'm staring at a mostly white screen, wondering what to write about December 2009, the last month of a great year.
My reluctance to put my thoughts down onto the blog is partly due to the massive amount of backlog that has accumulated since I went for my Taiwan grad trip in early December, with just a pinch of busyness thrown in. However, the main culprit for this void in update is that I'm currently held in a kind of "life stasis", characterized by a stage in life where the fate of the years ahead hang in the balance, perched precariously on a single pivot point which you have absolutely no control of.
This pivotal event is the approval of my US Visa for the training program that lasts 18 months. Yep, I'll be going to the US for 18 months, which mean... many many things, none of which I will be covering in this blog post.
(If you're wondering why I've not publicly announced this on my blog, it's because it's not a very high profile assignment, but it is a great opportunity!)
Other than waiting for my visa application to be approved, I've also engaged in various activities which are deemed to be socially popular.
1) Watched Avatar. The CGI effects were indeed as good as described by everyone. However the storyline is pretty straightforward, with little character development and some pretty strong generalization and marginalization themes. The fight scenes were some of the most spectacular I have ever seen, with grand overhead shots of the unfolding battle, slow-mos at crucial scenes and fast paced "boss" battles. Given its success I would say that almost anyone would enjoy the movie, with the exception of die-hard storyline fanatics.
2) Completed Dragonage (Almost all pure moral choices, so that I can try the "evil" options in a second playthrough). Yes, I'm a little late, considering the stream of enthusiastically and insistently loud and positive reviews a couple of months ago, but I tried as hard as possible to put off playing this gem until I got faster system. As it turns out, curiosity got the better of me and I took the plunge...into 15FPS laggy-low-res hell.
A week later, I emerged from the Dragonage shell, feeling slightly more enriched by the storyline and feeling morally pleased at having saved almost everyone from their own self-destructive selves and generally giving away money to hordes (yes, literally) of beggars. There were a few mind-blowing cinematics and an epic "Lord of the Rings" feel that I've not experienced in any other RPG that made me want to wet my pants in nerdgasm, and death animations that involved lots of beheading, but that's not what we're playing an RPG for right?
To be nit-picky, I find the characters to be a little too dark and sarcastic, the combat somewhat repetitive and abundant, and the moral "choices" not as ambiguous and "dark" as described by the advertisements. Perhaps playing the Witcher earlier this year set my bar for dark fantasy a little too high.
Also, Dragonage can't compare to the classics like Baldur's Gate 2, even with nostalgia factored out of the equation. Yes the graphics are nice and the violence, glorious but it lacks the all elusive X-factor (characters and story) to make it a classic.
That's my December!
After so much digression, I've still not come up with the words to describe my Taiwan grad trip!
Taiwan Grad trip 2009!
In another 10 hours I will be flying off with Lester, Kelvin and Hongjun for a once in a lifetime grad trip extravaganza! Cold weather, tasty food and electronic goods beware!
Note: Many people have commented on the apparent geekiness in the way in which we plan our grad trip. I deny all allegations that using google maps, google calendar synced with 4 laptops is a geeky way to plan a grad trip.
Proud of my gal
2009 is truly a year that is full of milestones both for Constance and for us as a couple. As a couple we ventured onto the seas (and sometimes under the sea!) by fin, kayak, fast-craft and speedboat. Traveling overseas has certainly been a test or challenge of sorts for our relationship, as we came to grips with certain travel quirks, while being buffeted by waves of seasickness. Nevertheless, we have pledged to iron out the quirks and emerged from this experience stronger.
We also participated in a public arts display- a sure test of guts and discipline-with my presence being a fluke as one of the participants dropped out at the last min. Though, the credit for this should really go to Constance as she was the one who originally auditioned and picked up this activity.
Beyond the experiences that we had as a couple, I'm proud to say that Constance has also surmounted some hurdles and stepped out of her comfort zone by engaging in various activities (again some overlap with my activities).
She:
Is on the crux of a big change!
Ran 10km in 1.5 hours!
Wrote 50,000 words in a month!
Stared at plastinated bodies without getting grossed out!
Legally graffitied a table!
Fangirl squealed at a Keane concert!
Faced her fear of heights!
Blasted zombies in L4D!
Acted in a art display (with me in tow)!
Dived the depths with me!
Kayaked till her arms ached!
Isn't she an awesome gal? In a way, 2009 reminded me about why I've fallen in love with this girl and how much I'm looking forward to more awesomeness with this girl in the future 